Legislative, Government Affairs & Legal Updates

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Featured Legislative, Government Affairs & Legal Updates Content

Bart Watson: If You’re Trying to Ride Out This Wave, ‘You Should Probably Reconsider’

Bart Watson: If You’re Trying to Ride Out This Wave, ‘You Should Probably Reconsider’

Anyone looking for an answer to when craft’s current era of compounding hurdles and declines will come to an end received a reality check Wednesday during Brewers Association (BA) president and CEO Bart Watson’s state of the industry address, held at the start of Day 2 of the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in Indianapolis.

Additional Content

US Senators Seek Permanent Tax Relief for Alcohol Producers

US Senators Seek Permanent Tax Relief for Alcohol Producers

With tax breaks for alcohol producers set to expire at the end of 2019, the push to make excise tax relief permanent officially started today as the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA) was reintroduced into the U.S. Senate by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Roy Blunt (R-MO).

Brewers Association Encourages Craft Beer Supporters to Adopt Seal

Brewers Association Encourages Craft Beer Supporters to Adopt Seal

Nine months after urging retailers to adopt its independence seal, the Brewers Association (BA) today launched an extension of that campaign, encouraging state guilds, beer festivals, homebrew shops and other craft beer supporters to adopt a modified version of its original badge.

US Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Tennessee Residency Requirement Dispute

US Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Tennessee Residency Requirement Dispute

A century after the ratification of Prohibition, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could have wide-ranging effects on the three-tier system. On Wednesday, the court heard arguments in Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailers Association vs. Blair. At issue in the case is the constitutionality of the state of Tennessee’s two-year residency requirement for obtaining a liquor license. Additionally, the state requires a decade of residency for the renewal of liquor licenses, which expire after one year.

Brewers Association Awards More than $500,000 in Research Grants

Brewers Association Awards More than $500,000 in Research Grants

The Brewers Association (BA) has awarded more than a half a million dollars in research grants to groups focused on barley and hops development. The BA, a not-for-profit trade group representing the interests of small and independent U.S. beer companies, said the 17 grants given through its Research and Service Grants Program would “further the development of a healthy and sustainable raw materials supply chain.”

The 12 Most-Read Brewbound Stories of 2018

The 12 Most-Read Brewbound Stories of 2018

Industry headwinds, brewery acquisitions, the emerging cannabis sector, and the seemingly never ending battle between big and small beer makers were the focus of Brewbound’s most-read stories of 2018.

Pennsylvania Breweries Face Tax on Beer Sold in Taprooms

Pennsylvania Breweries Face Tax on Beer Sold in Taprooms

Craft brewery owners in Pennsylvania are attempting to restructure the collection of a forthcoming sales tax that is slated to begin next July and would increase the cost of beer sold directly to consumers for on- and off-premise consumption at the state’s nearly 300 taprooms, tasting rooms and brewpubs. The point of contention for brewery owners is not the implementation of the tax itself, but rather when it is collected.

Brewers Association Board Agrees to Revise ‘Craft Brewer’ Definition, Form PAC

Brewers Association Board Agrees to Revise ‘Craft Brewer’ Definition, Form PAC

Citing a need to remain flexible at a time when a growing number of craft breweries are experimenting with non-traditional beer offerings, the Brewers Association (BA) today announced that it has once again revised its “craft brewer” definition. The changes to the definition, which will take effect immediately and impact the way the trade group reports its 2018 craft beer production figures, marks the fourth time the organization has altered the criteria since 2007.

Brewery Openings on the Rise in Major U.S. Population Centers, BA Reports

Brewery Openings on the Rise in Major U.S. Population Centers, BA Reports

U.S. cities with populations in excess of 5 million have seen the most percentage growth of brewery openings in the past five years, according to Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson. Watson, who took to the BA blog with data compiled from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau and brewery zip code locations, found a 183 percent increase in the number of breweries per 100,000 people in cities of more than 5 million people.